Lewis Hamilton has been asked to retire from Formula 1 and concentrate on his other interests by former three-time F1 world champion Sir Jackie Stewart. The Scot wants the seven-time world champion to avoid the pain of fighting in the midfield after dominating the sport for the last eight seasons.

The Mercedes F1 team's inability to produce a race winning car has seen Hamilton struggle to get to grips in 2022. The British racer has managed a top five finish on just five occasions in nine races this season, with P3 being his best finish overall.

It is a far cry from the last eight seasons, when he was challenging for wins at every race with his dominant Mercedes car. Hamilton's chances of fighting for an eighth Drivers' championship has been all but extinguished in 2022, with the Briton 98 points behind leader Max Verstappen.

Stewart feels Hamilton should have walked away from the sport when he was at the top, but feels that will not be possible now. The Scotsman wants him to "resign" now to avoid the pain of watching his rivals compete for wins while he fights it out in the midfield.

Lewis Hamilton
'Mind-blowing': Lewis Hamilton celebrates his win at the Russian Grand Prix POOL / Yuri Kochetkov

"I would like to see him resigning now," Stewart told the Convex Conversation Podcast. "It's a pity he wasn't resigning at the top. But I don't think that's going to happen now. But nevertheless, it's wiser to stop than go through all the pain of not being able to do what you did before."

The former three-time world champion thinks Hamilton is now struggling a bit, especially with new teammate George Russell outperforming him on a consistent basis thus far. Stewart thinks the 103-time race winner should focus on his music or interest in fashion, which will bring him more success in life.

"Hamilton is now struggling a little bit because he's had a new team mate who's been quicker than him in qualifying so far this year, which is going to be difficult for him to handle. But I think it's time for him to resign."

"He's got music, he's got culture. He loves clothing and the rag trade would be absolutely suitable for him," Stewart added. "I'm sure he'll be very successful because he's been earning a huge amount of money – rightfully so, because he's been the best of his time."